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(back row l. to r.) Daniel Quintero, Assemblyman Peter Rivera, Councilwoman Annabel Palma, Councilman Jimmy Vacca, Congressman Joe Crowley. Youngsters operate healthy snack canteen at P.S.101.
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In 2003 the U.S. Surgeon General reported
that, in two generations, the percentage
of overweight 6- to 17-year-olds had risen
from 4% to 15%. Reaching out to the
Family Weight Management Program of nearby Jacobi
Medical Center, we learned that, in
50,000annual outpatient visits to the general
pediatric clinic, 34% of youngsters were
overweight. Obesity prevention was
on our radar screen, and we designed an approach
that married encouragement of life-long sports
and nutrition education. Our new obesity
prevention grant from Congressman Crowley
will give a big boost to those efforts.
Kips Bay Boys & Girls Club presented
a Family Fitness/Healthy Diet evening at
the Lucile Palmaro Clubhouse on Thursday,
February 21, 2008, from 6:00 p.m to 8:30
p.m. It was the kickoff event for a
$310, 628 federal grant for obesity prevention
that Kips Bay obtained through the efforts
of Congressman Joseph Crowley. Congressman
Crowley visited Kips Bay on Friday, January
11, 2008 to officially announce the award
to the press.
Grant activities include family fitness/healthy
diet evenings, and new physical education
programming for younger club members in life-long
sports (e.g. ice skating, swimming, aerobic
dance) that incorporates nutrition education
to combat youthful obesity. Kips Bay’s
consultant in obesity prevention and healthy
diet is the aforementioned Family Weight
Management Program (FWMP) of Jacobi Medical
Center.
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Rick Goings and Brooke
Shields pose with Kips Bay’s Palmaro Clubhouse “Smart Girls” Club. |
Rick Goings, the dynamic Chairman and CEO of Tupperware
Corporation, is also the Chairman of Boys & Girls
Clubs of America’s National Board of Governors. On
October 29, 2007 we were delighted to welcome Rick
and actress Brooke Shields to Kips Bay to promote
Tupperware’s “Chain of Confidence” initiative. Chain
of Confidence arose out of a Tupperware national
survey to determine the sources of self-confidence
in women. Eighty-five percent (85%) of responders
said that their supportive network of female friends
is a core element in their long-term self-confidence. Goings
brought in actress and mother-of-two Brooke Shields
to promote a Chain of Confidence Campaign for women
supporting women in achieving their life goals
and ambitions. www.chainofconfidence.com
Not surprisingly, Mr. Goings, with 19 years
in the top voluntary leadership of Boys & Girls
Clubs of America, immediately recognized the
congruence of Chain of Confidence and “Smart
Girls”, the BGCA program for self-confidence
and healthy life styles in young girls, ages
10-12. Again, not surprisingly, Rick was
quick to join Chain of Confidence to Smart Moves,
committing Tupperware to donating 1.5 million
dollars to the program over the next three years.
Kips Bay was honored to be the first Club in the
country to host a visit by Mr. Goings and Ms. Shields
to a Smart Girls Club. Thanks Rick. Thanks
Brooke. Thanks Tupperware for your support of the
Boys & Girls Club Movement.
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Daniel
Quintero (left) and Thomas Croci, Vice President,
The Christopher D. Smithers Foundation.
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Kips Bay can only grow its mission and services
by continually reaching out to and welcoming new
donor partners. Thus we were grateful and
delighted to receive, in August 2007, a first-time
gift of $10,000 from the Christopher D. Smithers
Foundation. The pioneering work of
The Smithers Foundation in alcoholism treatment
and prevention is universally acclaimed and fully
consistent with the approach and goals of the Boys & Girls
Club “Smart Moves” program. Thus
foundation President Adele C. Smithers wrote in
transmitting the gift:
We will be very pleased if these monies could be put towards the Smart
Moves Program, which helps pre-teens and teens to learn about the disease of
alcoholism, the dangers of alcohol and other drug use and abuse and how to
make healthy, lifestyle choices away from alcohol and other drugs.
We’ll do exactly that, Mrs. Smithers, and
thank you so much.
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(L TO R) Brian Smith, Barry
Robins, Brian Cashman, Daniel Quintero, Fritz Coudert |
Most of us at “The Bay” are major league
New York Yankee fans. So our first fundraiser
at the legendary “House that Ruth Built” was
a special evening indeed. Thanks to the Yankees'
Brian Smith and Brian Cashman (far left and 3rd
from left above) for greeting our guests in the
Great Movements Room prior to the game. Special
thanks to major sponsors DavosPharma and the New
York Yankees and to contributing sponsors: Bronx
Kids Inc; Doonan, Graves & Longoria, James
P. Druckman, Carmen Goldberg, GTL Construction,
Marvin Hamlisch, Health Plus, K.E.B. Pest Control,
Curtis O. Minnis and Progressive Home Health Service.
The new event earned $35,000. Happily, with
the Yankees' continuing sponsorship, we’ll
return to Yankee Stadium in 2008. Look for
details right here at www.kipsbay.org.
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(l to r) Darryl Strawberry, Alfred
Zaccagnino, Ray Negron, Dan Quintero. |
The New York Yankees have many storied traditions,
none more so than the practice of visiting very
sick children in the hospital, started by no less
than the great Babe Ruth himself. Continued
through the years, the tradition is carried on
today by Ray Negron, special assistant to George
Steinbrenner, and joined by such players as Ruben
Sierra and Robinson Cano. Inspired and deeply
moved by these experiences, Mr. Negron wrote, “The
Boy of Steel: A Baseball Dream come True”.
Tenderly illustrated by Laura Seeley “The
Boy of Steel” is a loving tribute to children
everywhere who summon courage in the face of
adversity and never give up. Thus, we could
not have been more honored when Ray promised
a portion of the book sales to Kips Bay. On
December 20, 2006, he visited Kips Bay to do
just that. It wasn’t the end of his
support which continued via his “Night
of Peace, Unity & Hope”, featuring
Bernie Williams and Jose Feliciano, and a dramatic
presentation of “The Boy of Steel” with
special guest Darryl Strawberry. Thanks Ray!
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The New York Mets' slugging first baseman Carlos
Delgado (pictured left with Dan Quintero and
four young Club Members), presented a check
for $25,000 to Kips Bay during a September 22nd
ceremony in Shea Stadium. The gift is from Extra
Bases, the charity that Mr. Delgado founded
in his native Puerto Rico in 2001. Delgado made
his first visit to Kips Bay on September 20th,
deciding almost immediately to make a gift. The
next day Mr. Delgado called Dan Quintero with the
good news.
We are deeply grateful to Mr. Delgado, who has also agreed to visit again after
the playoffs and speak with Club members. THANKS CARLOS! Your team plays in Queens,
and you have a lot of enthusiastic fans in the Bronx.
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Only about one-tenth of the children and youth in Bronx's Community Board 5 have
a place to go after school where they can study, relax and have fun with other
kids in a safe environment. That's why we've chosen to launch our second clubhouse
there, in the former Hebrew Institute Yeshiva at 1835 Dr. Martin Luther King,
Jr. Boulevard. Our $12 million renovation of the five-story building began in
the fall of 2007. When the Clubhouse opens in early 2009, we expect to serve
1,500 youth, and we project this number will rise to 4,000 within five
years.
The new facility will offer the same comprehensive and wide-ranging programs
as our current clubhouse, for children ages six to eighteen. We also plan to
provide a daycare program, and in cooperation with the Morris Heights Health
Center, a health care program tailored to the needs of our members and their
families.
From one clubhouse in 1969, the Kips Bay Boys & Girls Club has grown to include
nine additional units and our future West Bronx Clubhouse. We're proud to serve
14,000 children today, and when the new facility is completed, we look forward
to that number's rise to 16,000.
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